MLB Player News

  • Slade Cecconi SP | CLE

    Guardians' Slade Cecconi: Falters in third inning

    Cecconi allowed two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out four over 2.2 innings in Monday's spring start against Texas.

    Cecconi had two scoreless frames in his second Cactus League outing before Wyatt Langford took him deep in the third. The Rangers worked counts in all three innings, and the right-hander's day was done after 52 pitches (33 strikes). Cecconi is much more established than he was in 2025, when he was new to the Guardians. Coaches reworked his mechanics and pitch mix, per Tim Stebbins of MLB.com, adding a cutter and increasing his slider usage. The cutter was particularly effective Monday, generating six whiffs on 12 swings.

  • Brady Singer SP | CIN

    Reds' Brady Singer: Makes spring debut

    Singer allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out one over two-plus innings in Monday's spring start against the Cubs.

    The numbers for Singer's Cactus League debut were ugly, and he was able to generate just one swing-and-miss. The optimistic view is that he managed to throw 46 pitches while throwing his entire arsenal and had three up-and-downs. All four runs scored in the first frame, when the right-hander had some bad luck -- a couple of weak contact hits fell in safely and left fielder Will Benson couldn't come down with a catchable ball.

  • Tigers' Justin Verlander: Set for spring debut Friday

    Verlander will make his first Grapefruit League start in Friday's game against the Red Sox, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

    Verlander will be the last member of Detroit's projected season-opening rotation to take the hill this spring, and it will be his first game in a Detroit uniform since 2017 after rejoining the club on a one-year, $13 million contract last month. The 42-year-old isn't the same pitcher he was when he last played for the Tigers, but he should at least give the team a veteran option to reliably eat up some innings. Verlander turned in a respectable 3.85 ERA and 137 strikeouts across 152 innings for the Giants last year.

  • Framber Valdez SP | DET

    Tigers' Framber Valdez: Sharp in team debut

    Valdez allowed two hits across three scoreless innings of work in Monday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta. He struck out three.

    Making his first spring start for the Tigers since inking a three-year, $115 million contract in early February, Valdez looked sharp across his 43 pitches. He threw 30 of those pitches for strikes and managed to scatter two harmless singles. The 32-year-old southpaw figures to slot in to the No. 2 spot in Detroit's rotation behind ace Tarik Skubal, giving the Tigers two of the top left-handed starters in the American League. Valdez has made at least 28 regular-season starts in each of the last four years, and he's compiled a sparkling 3.21 ERA during that time, making him an attractive fantasy option in his first season in Detroit.

  • Cubs' Jameson Taillon: Spring struggles continue

    Taillon allowed six runs on five hits and two walks across 2.1 innings in Monday's Cactus League game against the Reds. He struck out two.

    It's been a rough spring so far for Taillon, as he's sitting with a 19.50 ERA through three Cactus League outings. The veteran righty has been tagged for six home runs already in only six innings of work. Taillon saw his HR/9 increase from 1.1 in 2024 to 1.7 last year, which was the worst mark of his MLB career. While he still managed a strong 3.68 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 129.2 regular-season innings, Taillon could struggle to replicate those results in 2026 if he continues to serve up long balls at an elevated rate.

  • Ranger Suarez SP | BOS

    Red Sox's Ranger Suarez: Fits in three innings

    Suarez allowed one run on two hits while striking out two over three innings in Sunday's start against the Orioles.

    Suarez allowed his lone run in the second inning when he had a few long at-bats against Baltimore hitters. He was at 34 pitches after two innings, 11 shy of his 45-pitch limit, but the lefty managed to get three outs quickly in his final inning. He's made two Grapefruit League starts and will depart camp for the World Baseball Classic, where Suarez will compete for Team Venezuela.

  • Jacob deGrom SP | TEX

    Rangers' Jacob deGrom: Making spring debut Wednesday

    DeGrom will make his first spring start in the Rangers' exhibition game against Team Brazil on Wednesday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

    The Rangers have been slowly building deGrom up in spring training, with the veteran right-hander limited to bullpen sessions and live batting practices. He'll take the mound for Wednesday's exhibition contest, and Rangers manager Skip Schumaker told reporters Monday that he expects deGrom to make three or four appearances before the end of camp, per Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News. DeGrom went 12-8 across 30 starts in 2025 with a 2.97 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 185:37 K:BB in 172.2 innings, which were his most frames thrown in a season since 2019 as a member of the Mets.

  • Gavin Stone SP | LAD

    Dodgers' Gavin Stone: Encounters setback with shoulder

    Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Stone has experienced a "setback" with his surgically repaired right shoulder and will have his throwing program "paused," Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

    Stone missed the entire 2025 season following surgery to repair a full capsule tear and partial tears of the labrum and rotator cuff. The shoulder bothered him during his Cactus League debut last week and again during a subsequent bullpen session. There is no timetable for when Stone will resume throwing. Stone had been in competition for a spot in the Dodgers' rotation, but he will not be ready for Opening Day now and could be facing an extended absence.

  • Matt Waldron SP | SD

    Padres' Matt Waldron: Throwing off mound this week

    Waldron (lower body) is slated to throw off the mound this week, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

    Waldron underwent hemorrhoid surgery last week and is expected to begin the season on the injured list. The knuckleballer hopes to make at least one Cactus League appearance before camp breaks. Waldron is out of minor-league options, so once he's healthy he'll need to either go on the active roster or be exposed to waivers.

  • Logan Webb SP | SF

    Giants' Logan Webb: Fans three Sunday

    Webb picked up the win in Sunday's 9-1 Cactus League victory over the Padres, allowing one earned run on two hits while striking out three batters and hitting one in three innings.

    Webb picked up his second win in as many spring starts, throwing 27 of his 38 pitches for strikes. He hit the first batter he faced, who later scored on an RBI single, though the right-hander powered through his final two innings and gave up just one more single. Webb will now join Team USA ahead of the World Baseball Classic. According to Maria Guardado of MLB.com, the 29-year-old tossed 15 extra pitches in the bullpen after exiting Sunday's game and expects to be available to throw 60-65 pitches in his first start for Team USA.

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